Jammerzine’s The Week in #Indie presents a special about the best in independent music. We all know that 2020 wasn’t the best of years and we’ve all had to endure isolation physically and mentally. But we must highlight those wonderful bright sides of this year with this presentation of great music.
Go behind the scenes of the making of the new remix album by Michael Ciravolo’s Beauty in Chaos project titled ‘Beauty Re-Envisioned’. Including interviews with the creators as well as commentary by the likes of Ashton Nyte, Rolan Bolan, Zakk Wylde, dUG Pinnick, Wayne Hussey, Evi Vine and more as we peek behind the curtains of SAINTinLA Studios in Los Angeles to get the story of the evolution from record to remix track by track to better see the beauty behind the chaos.
Now with reworked scenes as well as remastered audio and video plus bonus content!
Michael Ciravolo
Michael Rozon
Tish Ciravolo
Ryan Martin & Sophia Ciravolo
Music video segments directed by Vicente Cordero @ Industrialism Films.
Wayne Hussey
Al Jourgensen
Michael Rozon
Zakk Wylde
Ashton Nyte
Michael Aston
Robin Zander
Rolan Bolan
Pete Parada
Tim Palmer
John Fryer
Ummagma
Kitty Lectro
dUg Pinnick
ICE-T
Michael Anthony
Mark Thwaite
Evi Vine
Simon Gallup
Kevin Haskins
Sine Division
Betsy Martin
Paul Wiley
Kevin Kipnis
Tish Ciravolo
Statik
Johnny Indovina
Dirk Doucette
Roman Marisak
Alex Kretov
Sounds Of Sputnik
Tim Perry
Ulrich Krieger
Lola Bates
Danny Lohner
Marc Danzeisen
LINKS:
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/the-albums
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/beautyreenvisioned
https://instagram.com/beauty.inchaos
https://www.facebook.com/beautyinchaosmusic
https://twitter.com/MichaelCiravolo
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10660966
Ashton Nyte has recently released his album and companion book titled ‘Waiting For A Voice’. This is a wonderful interview, to say the least. More of a conversation, actually. What we get is that voice we’ve all been waiting for. And that voice is the type of voice we need in this day and age. I’m not talking phonetically. I mean spiritually. Musically.
Both the album and book are from the mind of someone who observes and interprets. The songs are the music that sews the heart to the sleeve and the book is a brilliant and compassionate collage of lyrics, poetry, and autobiographical segments. And the result is a medium of solitary substance that, I hope, the listener inherits as much as they ingest.
And what we get today is that deep conversation with Ashton, where we talk about the album and book ‘Waiting For A Voice’ and get in-depth about both an introverted human being giving the world a voice we’ve been needing but also that inspiration that we can use to move forward.
Take a look at what ‘Waiting For A Voice’ is and get a copy HERE.
Check out our other features about Ashton Nyte HERE.
Click HERE to watch Season 6 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 5 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 4 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 3 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 2 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 1 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Dubbed the “lovechild of Johnny Cash and Nick Cave” by NPR, the new work sees Nyte blending poetry with haunting acoustic minimalism, animated by his rich, diverse baritone voice. Waiting For A Voice, Nyte’s 7th solo album was largely written and recorded after his 36 date European tour with Wayne Hussey (The Mission) concluded in October last year and features his most personal songwriting to date.
The album contains 11 original songs, written, performed, and produced by Nyte, along with an intimate rendition of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” dedicated to Nyte’s father, who passed earlier this year. The accompanying 134pg book expands on themes explored on the album, and is available in hardcover and paperback, along with vinyl, CD and digital versions of the album.
“In quiet desperation, I pulled the words aside To cover up the violence That blurred my aching my mind. And gazing through the portholes Deafened by the noise I spoke into the ocean I’m waiting for a voice.”
– (Waiting For A Voice – Ashton Nyte)
Now based in the USA, Ashton Nyte is a South African born composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and writer. He has released 7 solo albums, in addition to 9 albums as The Awakening, one of South Africa’s most prominent alternative rock bands. He has also contributed lyrics and vocals to several projects – most recently Beauty In Chaos, which features members of The Cure and Cheap Trick among others.
Ashton has written and performed in theatrical productions and organized philanthropic events including his Rock Against Rape concert series, and presenting a lecture series at US universities focusing on tolerance and acceptance. He is a prolific songwriter, with a released catalog of over 250 songs, including an Afrikaans-language album, “Moederland” (2014) which was named one of the top 10 albums of the year by Netwerk24 in South Africa.
Ashton has toured extensively and headlined festivals in the US, Europe, and South Africa, including Ramfest and the Oppikoppi Festival to over 30 000 people.
Last year also saw Ashton working on the score of “Don’t Let Go,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. He is currently working on a number of album re-issue projects, along with on-line performances, and will tour the new book and album when it is safe to do so.
The artist has released 7 solo albums as Ashton Nyte, and 1 as Ashton Nyte And The Accused, in addition to 9 albums as The Awakening, one of South Africa’s most prominent alternative rock bands. Now based in the USA, Ashton Nyte is a South African born composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and producer. Nyte’s signature style focuses on his uniquely rich and widely diverse vocal abilities, while his instrumentation ranges from minimalist acoustic guitar ballads to epic arrangements.
Ashton is considered to be the “musical chameleon” of South Africa and has been described in the major press as “Johannesburg’s Bowie” for his widely varying music styles and theatrical performance style. With a released catalog of over 250 original songs, Ashton has had dozens of top ten singles and airplay on major independent radio stations around the world.
Nyte’s works have been featured on NPR/PRI in the USA, and he has performed live in-studio to 125 million listeners on the international radio show “Border Crossings” (Washington, DC). Nyte has toured extensively and headlined music festivals in the USA and South Africa to upwards of 30 000 people.
Ashton has written and performed in theatrical productions and organized philanthropic events including his “Rock Against Rape” concert series, and presenting a lecture series at US universities focusing on tolerance and acceptance. His first Afrikaans-language album, Moederland (April 2014) was named one of the top 10 albums of the year by Netwerk24. From 2016 – 2018 Nyte completed a 17 date tour, spanning 12 European countries, as well as a national US tour and smaller European tour.
He contributed vocals and lyrics to new albums by MGT (guitarist for Peter Murphy, The Mission, Gary Numan) as well as Michael Ciravolo’s “Beauty In Chaos” project, which includes members of The Cure, Cheap Trick, Ice-T and many more. The Nyte / Ciravolo composition “Bloodless And Fragile” was featured in the television program “The Purge” on the USA network in 2018. Nyte released a new album, “Chasm” as The Awakening on 26 November 2018.
2019 saw Ashton working on the score of the movie “Don’t Let Go” with composer Ethan Gold. The movie stars David Oyelowo (Selma), Storm Reid (A Wrinkle In Time) and Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump) and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. Ashton also contributed to the second and third Beauty Chaos releases and completed a 36 date European Tour with British indie artist Wayne Hussey (The Mission) in September / October 2019. Nyte released “Waiting For A Voice”, his 7th solo album and the first book of poetry, short stories, and musings, on 20 July 2020.
Featured image by Christian Fraude.
LINKS:
https://ashtonnyte.com
https://facebook.com/ashtonnyte
https://youtube.com/ashtonnyte
https://instagram.com/ashtonnyte
https://twitter.com/ashtonnyte
https://theawakening.com
https://facebook.com/theawakeningofficial
https://youtube.com/theawakeningsa
Exclusive interviews featuring singer/songwriter Sami Chohfi, solo artist and frontman for The Awakening Ashton Nyte, and social media celebrity Nicole Ciravolo as well as video, single, and album premieres from Fly the Nest, Zenith Volt, CloudRunners, Plastic Barricades, Black Bordello, and Mantis and the Prayer.
Sami is the type of artist that holds the world in his heart and wears that heart on his sleeve. To listen, in this interview, how and why his songs came to be is not only an inspiration for the musician but a lesson in humanity. I wish more people were like Sami. The world would be a much kinder place. and, in this interview, we get a history and reasoning behind his new single and video titled ‘This Majesty’ (video below) as well as his upcoming album titled ‘Extraordinary World’.
LINKS:
https://samichohfimusic.com
https://twitter.com/samichohfimusic
https://www.facebook.com/samichohfimusic
https://instagram.com/samichohfimusic
https://itunes.apple.com/artist/sami-chohfi/1460610496
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4xdpDgzzdLx365502fJweY?si=uTDiAQHiTpyR0iR_8zaKLQ
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sami-chohfi-45290879/
https://pandora.com/artist/sami-chohfi/AR7gVzlwtg77gzX
https://www.youtube.com/samichohfimusic
https://music.amazon.ca/artists/B001RWYDFS?tab=CATALOG&ref=dm_wcp_artist_link_pr_s
https://soundcloud.com/sami-chohfi
https://listen.tidal.com/artist/15568916
Ashton Nyte has recently released his album and companion book titled ‘Waiting For A Voice’. This is a wonderful interview, to say the least. More of a conversation, actually. What we get is that voice we’ve all been waiting for. And that voice is the type of voice we need in this day and age. I’m not talking phonetically. I mean spiritually. Musically.
Both the album and book are from the mind of someone who observes and interprets. The songs are the music that sews the heart to the sleeve and the book is a brilliant and compassionate collage of lyrics, poetry, and autobiographical segments. And the result is a medium of solitary substance that, I hope, the listener inherits as much as they ingest.
And what we get today is that deep conversation with Ashton, where we talk about the album and book ‘Waiting For A Voice’ and get in-depth about both an introverted human being giving the world a voice we’ve been needing but also that inspiration that we can use to move forward.
Take a look at what ‘Waiting For A Voice’ is and get a copy HERE.
Check out our other features about Ashton Nyte HERE.
LINKS:
https://ashtonnyte.com
https://facebook.com/ashtonnyte
https://youtube.com/ashtonnyte
https://instagram.com/ashtonnyte
https://twitter.com/ashtonnyte
https://theawakening.com
https://facebook.com/theawakeningofficial
https://youtube.com/theawakeningsa
We are mixing it up when it comes to interviews. As you know, normally we interview musicians, but today, we are branching out and have reached out to an internet celebrity in the form of TikTok sensation Nicole Ciravolo. Having already gotten major press from the likes of Buzzfeed (article HERE), Nicole has not only began captivating audiences on the TikTok platform but is someone who is seasoning her resume and honing her craft. Having already gained experience via Second City, Nicole is expanding her experience via the various outlets out there and gaining an audience with her personality, style, and skillsets after having literally conquered TikTok with millions of views and likes while also rapidly approaching a million followers.
And today we get a glimpse of things to come with this exclusive interview with Nicole. We discuss her plan for the future, as well as her take on the state of entertainment in this new era of the pandemic and #metoo and the big secret of how to engage with premium content plus her take on the recent battle between TikTok and the U.S. Government. Enjoy!
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/nicoleciravolo
https://www.youtube.com/c/nicoleciravolo
https://www.tiktok.com/@nicoleciravolo
https://twitter.com/nicoleciravolo
Fly the Nest, aka Stephen Cooper, is set to drop his new single titled ‘Wild Ride’. Energetic from the start and passionate throughout, ‘Wild Ride’ is a blossoming track of layered guitars and harmonizing vocals that set the mood and take the stage in ways that harken back to that turn-of-the-century power-pop when rock ruled the world and songwriting mattered.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/flythenestofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7bsdKGo4cOlAYj1i5HMsRL?si=rQ9qGWU7S46Pm5sTBhVCXw
Zenith Volt has premiered the new single titled ‘Hold On‘ right here on Jammerzine. Starting off as an electronic burst of energy from the first note, this First Listen garners the attention with ecstatic energy and electric harmony in ways that only a true artist can muster. Designed for the dancefloor and mastered for the masses, ‘Hold On’ gives that certain something we all need to erode the isolation and ‘go through the motion’ and lets us ‘hold on to what we got’, which is each other. This is brilliance with bass.
LINKS:
https://www.zenithvolt.com
https://www.facebook.com/zenithvolt
https://snd.click/ListenToHoldOn
CloudRunners have premiered their new song titled ‘The Only One’ right here on Jammerzine. As a bonus, we also get what is becoming rarer and rarer in the days of the pandemic and that is a video. What I get with that initial listen is a cross between the alternative progressiveness in the underground music scene in that wonderful but all-too-short era in music between 1989 and 1991 when we got absolutely original bands such as Live and School of Fish. This band is of that caliber and level in originality and musical personality. The song itself is a well thought out lesson in songwriting with a solid hook and imaginative vocal-harmony intense chorus.
Let CloudRunners be your next favorite artist.
LINKS:
https://www.cloudrunnersmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/CloudRunnersMusic
https://instagram.com/CloudRunnersMusic
https://www.twitter.com/CloudRunnersUS
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCto1cEbMQWo7QDAUImhQzRA
Plastic Barricades release an acoustic version of their song ‘Tunnel’. The song is one of those types of tracks that really shows it’s true colors when stripped bare and revealed and compared to the original (video below). Plastic Barricades is a band that obviously shines live and let’s hope, for all of our sakes, that those live venues open up soon.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/plasticbarricades
https://twitter.com/plasticb
https://www.instagram.com/plasticbarricades
Black Bordello have released their eponymous album. A solid fusion of a little of everything from Fusion to vintage show and everything in between but one thing is for sure, this is all Black Bordello. In all of their glory. And this is what I love about #indie music. That unbreaking originality and melding of influences. This is the love of music put to record.
LINKS:
https://www.blackbordello.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/siennabordello
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0LhmtJ38vRhd35Eg3oC1nt
https://music.apple.com/us/album/leeches-single/1503188893
Mantis and the Prayer drop the new EP/Double AA Single titled ‘Murder Ballad and the Blue’. The first track, titled ‘I Know you’, is a sonically diverse yet subtle track with a somber vocal track coupled with layered guitar and an almost light orchestral with cinematic flare. Almost done in a way as to enhance the meaning of the lyrics, ‘I Know You’ is a melancholic soliloquy for the isolated.
‘Go Too Far’, while appearing more upbeat, is just as melancholic in emotion but from a different creative angle. With more of an upbeat demeanor, ‘Go Too Far’ achieves originality with subdued sound effects and an original chord progression that chugs away with the beat.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/MantisAndThePrayer
https://twitter.com/TheMantisPrayer
https://www.instagram.com/mantisandtheprayer
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3LZeCFFqBGxsSWSs9J5jCN?si=cAkHBCoER_ekv876GZwmpQ
https://soundcloud.com/mantis-and-the-prayer
Click HERE to watch Season 6 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 5 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 4 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 3 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 2 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 1 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Beauty in Chaos have officially released ‘The Storm Before The Calm‘ on May 22, 2020. It would appear that Michael Ciravolo, the curator of Beauty in Chaos, is in the midst of a clear stylistic shift with ‘The Storm Before The Calm’. On some levels, this is not surprising. With the roots that were ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos‘, and the almost extreme re-interpretations that were ‘Beauty Re-Envisioned‘, the remix album that followed.
What we get here, in turn, is a project that is in transition. The title track, for example, is an exotic and captivating and almost operatic, and sometimes erratic, soliloquy featuring Adrienne LaVey. That in itself is a bold move. And it works. It works so well that the album, in some ways, steers clearly into the post-modern and art-concept realms. That can either work or backfire, but here, it works in such a way that it becomes the third act of the concept that is the album and even defines the title of that album.
While the title track can be considered the peak of the crescendo that is the album as a whole, what we get within that perceived buildup is songs that reveal themselves as chapters of a grand story. Each with contributions of characters that we meet along the way. And, to me, that is what Beauty in Chaos is. A celebration of music and the people within it and what makes music universal.
‘The Storm Before The Calm’ will be released on CD and digitally tomorrow (May 22, 2020), with June for a 180g-vinyl release (black & blue duo-tone numbered limited edition vinyl). CD and digital orders come with an 8-page digital booklet with lyrics and a 25+ minute title opus not found on the vinyl version. The CD and vinyl release also come with the full digital download. ‘The Storm Before The Calm’ can be ordered here.
How did the concept for The Storm Before the Calm form and how do you feel it is different from the last album?
I certainly set out to do a darker, starker EP. Both of our other records, ‘Finding Beauty In Chaos’ and ‘Beauty Re-Envisioned’ were such ‘big’ listens, that I felt a more easily palatable release was in order! I had delved back into some of my favorite vinyl from the ‘80s. ‘Pornography’, ‘Disintegration’, and ‘First and Last and Always’.
I loved that those records evoked a ‘mood’ … wanting you to take the top-to-bottom listen journey. And for the most part, forsaking the big grand ‘hooks’. This was what I set out to do. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell which 4 songs would have been the EP! In typical BIC fashion, we expanded a bit with a few curve balls to end each side of the vinyl … which is my preferred listening medium.
The songs are a bit of a departure from the last album. What do you feel was the biggest stretch or derivation from the previous music in your opinion?
I think I had more of a ‘sonic’ concept going into this one that I had on ‘FBIC’. The music, at least to the first 4 songs were written over a 2-week period. It really was just me in a room with a drum machine and guitar, recording the ideas on my iPhone. Pretty low tech, huh! I think the stretch comes in the last 2 songs written, ‘Temple of Desire’ and, my personal favorite, ‘Stranger’.
Both are a bit of a departure from the other darker songs, but I think they help round this out as a pure album listen. To me, ‘Stranger’ is the perfect lead-in to where we take BIC next. The CD only 29-minute ‘title’ track, which I feel is an odd mix of David Lynch, Pink Floyd, and Trent Reznor, is a departure unto itself!
What are your plans for the next video?
This COVID shutdown has certainly thrown a bit of a wrench into our video plans, but things are opening up a bit here in Los Angeles. Currently, we are planning to shoot a video for ‘Stranger’, which features the amazing Kat Leon from Holy Wars. I think she has an amazing voice and is an extremely talented lyrist, which is very important to me. If my memory serves me, I think you did a feature interview with her a few months ago? Our concept, as always, is to be different from any previous BIC videos.
We both want to do something very somber and cinematic. Hopefully, this will be out in late June… and that it won’t be the last video from this record.
How have recent events reshaped how you are getting the music out there?
Other than delaying us completing a video to go with the album launch, we have probably been affected less than most other bands and artists that depend on touring. The downside to what BIC is at the moment is doing the Zoom concerts that are so popular right now are all but impossible. Each singer involved with this record is each in the midst of dealing with things with their own projects.
Although each singer would have probably done something, I just didn’t feel right about asking them or honestly taking the time it would take to do this on the scale I think that BIC should be done at. Instead, I chose to focus on new videos as well as laying the groundwork for another ‘remix’ record that I would like to release on Halloween. I also have started working on new material … with the first involving Cyn M. from Silence In The Snow.
Recorded at Ciravolo’s own SAINTinLA Studio, this album was recorded, mixed, and produced by Michael Rozon, Grammy-nominated for his work with Ministry.
Earlier, Beauty in Chaos previewed several tracks from this record, including ‘A Kind Cruelty’ featuring Curse Mackey (Pigface, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Evil Mothers), ‘The Delicate Balance of All Things’ featuring The Mission frontman Wayne Hussey, and ‘Almost Pure’ featuring Steven Seibold of industrial-synth-punk legends Hate Dept. and the Martin Atkins-led Pigface. This album also features collaborations with Ashton Nyte (The Awakening), Rafe Pearlman, Kat Leon (Holy Wars), and mezzo-soprano Adrienne LaVey.
Beauty in Chaos is the brainchild of guitarist Michael Ciravolo. Originally from New Orleans and now based in Los Angeles, he is best known as President of Schecter Guitar Research. He also played guitar in Human Drama for 30 years, in addition to playing live and recording with Michael Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel since 1998.
“Undaunted and unscathed by the studio software/hardware meltdowns and the unprecedented global pandemic shutdown, here is our new album. I am in complete awe of the amazing artists; some returning, some new that have lent their voices and words to make this record possible. And I‘m eternally grateful to our growing BIC FAMILY that continue this journey with us,” says BIC curator mastermind Michael Ciravolo.
“To me, ‘The Storm Before The Calm’ represents a rewind and a fast-forward. Rewind to the ‘80s and the great albums that lived on my turntable, that set a mood, a vibe… even the feeling of temperature.. as well as a crystal ball, look into the next evolution of Beauty In Chaos. Beauty wrapped in chaos. Dark, but always, with a light”.
In 2018, Beauty in Chaos released their acclaimed debut album ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’, followed by the ‘Beauty Re-Envisioned’ album (2019). Other BIC artists include Simon Gallup (The Cure), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Pete Parada (The Offspring), dUg Pinnick (Kings X), ICE-T (Body Count), producer Tim Palmer, guitar icon Zakk Wylde, Ashton Nyte (The Awakening), Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets), Rolan Bolan, Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Michael Aston (Gene Loves Jezebel), Paul Wiley (Marilyn Manson), Michael Aston and Dirk Doucette (Gene Loves Jezebel), Pando (A Flock of Seagulls), UMMAGMA, Evi Vine, Johnny Indovina (Human Drama), Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson), Betsy Martin (Caterwaul / Purr Machine), Kevin Kipnis (Purr Machine) and KITTY LECTRO, among others.
Featured image photographer: Anabel DFlux.
LINKS:
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/beautyinchaosmusic
https://www.instagram.com/beauty.inchaos
https://twitter.com/MichaelCiravolo
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/music-store
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/bic-blog
https://soundcloud.com/33-3-music-collective
https://beautyinchaos.bandcamp.com
The Mission frontman Wayne Hussey and LA-based Beauty in Chaos present ‘The Delicate Balance of All Things’. This is the first taste of Beauty in Chaos’ forthcoming full-length album ‘The Storm Before The Calm’. The accompanying video was filmed and directed by Vicente Cordero, edited by Leslie Gladney, and produced by Industrialism Films.
Slated for release in early 2020 via Los Angeles label 33.3 Music Collective, this album was recorded at Ciravolo’s own SAINTinLA Studio and produced by Grammy nominee Michael Rozon, best known for his work with Ministry.
Beauty in Chaos is the brainchild of guitarist Michael Ciravolo. Originally from New Orleans and now based in Los Angeles, he is perhaps best known as President of Schecter Guitar Research. Before launching Beauty in Chaos, Ciravolo had played guitar in Human Drama for the past 30 years, as well as playing live and recording with Michael Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel since 1998.
Wayne Hussey and Beauty in Chaos (Michael Ciravolo) have been enjoying a fruitful collaboration since the inception of BIC’s acclaimed debut album ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’. This followed by the subsequent ‘Beauty Re-Envisioned’ album, which, in addition to various remixes of tracks involving Hussey, also featured the original track ‘The Long Goodbye (Au Revoir)’, as well as ’20th Century Boy’ ft. Rolan Bolan and Wayne Hussey.
“I was adamant about releasing something new… I wanted the new record to be a bit darker and brooding. I sat down with a drum machine and blasted out several ideas that seemed to convey the overall ‘tone’ I wanted for the record. I knew Wayne was busy preparing for his solo European tour, but he said to send the tracks over and he would see if anything struck him,” says Michael Ciravolo.
“In typical Hussey fashion … he said he was ’empty on words’, understandable since he did just finish his ‘Salad Daze’ book. To my surprise, he sent back all of the vocal tracks a few days later, saying he had the title of ‘the delicate balance of all things’ that he thought about using for a future Mission record… and the lyrics basically poured out. Sonically and lyrically, I think this song perfectly sets the ‘feel’ I want ‘The Storm Before The Calm’ to have.”
Beauty in Chaos’ also involves many music luminaries, including Simon Gallup (The Cure), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Pete Parada (The Offspring), dUg Pinnick (Kings X), ICE-T (Body Count), producer Tim Palmer, guitar icon Zakk Wylde, Ashton Nyte (The Awakening), Rolan Bolan, Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Michael Aston (Gene Loves Jezebel), Paul Wiley (Marilyn Manson), Michael Aston and Dirk Doucette (Gene Loves Jezebel), Pando (A Flock of Seagulls), Evi Vine, Johnny Indovina (Human Drama), Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson), Betsy Martin (Caterwaul / Purr Machine), Kevin Kipnis (Purr Machine / Kommunity FK), Ummagma and Kitty Lectro, among others.
CREDITS
Wayne Hussey – vocals
Michael Ciravolo – guitars, bass, textures
Michael Rozon – bass, synth
Dirk Doucette – drums
Written by Wayne Hussey and Michael Ciravolo
Recorded, mixed and produced by Michael Rozon
Additional recording by Wayne Hussey
Video produced by Industrialism Films
Video filmed by Vicente Cordero
Video edited by Leslie Gladney
VIDEO BAND
Wayne Hussey – vocals
Michael Ciravolo – guitar
Tish Ciravolo – bass, justice lady
Dirk Doucette – drums
horsehead guy – ???
LINKS:
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/beautyinchaosmusic
https://www.instagram.com/beauty.inchaos
https://twitter.com/MichaelCiravolo
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/music-store
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/bic-blog
https://soundcloud.com/33-3-music-collective
https://beautyinchaos.bandcamp.com
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/finding-beauty-in-chaos/1436694940
https://open.spotify.com/album/7cmbwIpDm9aAXS4vVjcq4U?si=LZ_9_Bi1SzaZyN7wOIRCvw
LA-based Beauty in Chaos has announced the debut album ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’. Born of frustration and creativity, this is an audio assemblage curated by LA-based guitarist Michael Ciravolo and produced by Michael Rozon. This colossal work is previewed by the lead single ‘Storm’ featuring Ashton Nyte (The Awakening, MGT).
The debut album ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’ features numerous luminaries in the music world, both as co-writers and performers. Apart from Ashton Nyte, these include Wayne Hussey (The Mission), Simon Gallup (The Cure), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Pete Parada (The Offspring), dUg Pinnick (Kings X), ICE-T (Body Count), Michael Aston (Gene Loves Jezebel), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Dirk Doucette (Gene Loves Jezebel), Pando (A Flock of Seagulls), Evi Vine (Evi Vine), Betsy Martin (Caterwaul / Purr Machine), Marc Danzeisen (The Riverdogs), Kevin Kipnis (Purr Machine / Kommunity FK), Rudy Matchinga (Red Scare), Johnny Indovina (Human Drama), and Tish Ciravolo (Stun Gun).
“I look at this as an evolving entity that I am the ‘curator’. For this album, ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’, I am the only guitarist and no keyboards are used, but you will hear loads of textures created from guitars and effect pedals. This is a convergence of textures and styles that I envisioned blossoming,” says Michael Ciravolo.
“Assembling, or in some cases, disassembling beautiful soundscapes, melodies, and chords, while injecting harsh bursts of sonics … or visa versa. Light in the dark, dark in the light is the contrast that helps in realizing the goal of creating something musical that is also very visual and cinematic.”
Originally from New Orleans and now based in Los Angeles, Michael Ciravolo has played guitar in Human Drama for the past 30 years, most recently on ‘Broken Songs for Broken People’ (2017). Perhaps best known as President of Schecter Guitar Research, he has also played live and recorded with Michael Ashton’s Gene Loves Jezebel since 1998, along with Tish Ciravolo (wife and founder of Daisy Rock Guitars).
The lead track ‘Storm’ was co-written with and features vocals by Ashton Nyte, who also collaborates on another two tracks on this album. This, like many of the tracks on this album, features layers of alternative rock bliss, crowned by powerful and penetrating vocals.
‘Storm’ is about seeking a light in the proverbial dark, destructive, and a tediously distracting world we find ourselves in. “And the storm can wait, wait outside for another sacrifice”.
“I sat down with the intent to write something that would encompass all elements of what I wanted this record to be … a mixture of beauty via chords and textures with an interjection of a little chaos and brashness” says Ciravolo.
Originally from South Africa, Ashton Nyte is a pioneer of alternative music in his home country. The frontman of The Awakening, he recently collaborated with Mark Gemini Thwaite (Peter Murphy, The Mission) on MGT’s debut solo album, not a surprising collaboration considering The Awakening’s extensive touring experience with The Mission.
“Storm is the first song Michael and I wrote together and it happened rather effortlessly. Musically and lyrically, the artistic synergy was perfect… it felt like it was made for my voice and instantly inspired lyrics and vocal melodies we are both proud of. Michael has a wonderful sense of mood and melody and his songs are a lush landscape for me to add what I do best, in a very fluid, natural way,” says Ashton Nyte.
This record was mostly recorded and fully mixed at Ciravolo’s SAINTinLA Studio by Michael Rozon, who Ciravolo says “is a world-class engineer, mixer, producer, and musician, who pushed me to give my better-than-best on every note. A true sound alchemist, he encouraged me to explore the sounds and textures in my mind.”
In addition to the full version of ‘Storm’, which is now available in streaming, excerpts from three tracks off the album can already be previewed on the Beauty in Chaos website. These include ‘Man of Faith’ (featuring Wayne Hussey and Simon Gallup), ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’ (featuring Ashton Nyte), and ‘I Will Follow You’ (featuring Evi Vine).
LINKS:
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/bic-blog
https://www.facebook.com/beautyinchaosmusic
https://www.instagram.com/beauty.inchaos
https://twitter.com/MichaelCiravolo
https://soundcloud.com/33-3-music-collective
https://beautyinchaos.bandcamp.com